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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. L. STOWE.

GAR BRAKE. No. 250,852. Patented Deo. 13,1881.

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B. L. STOWE.

GAR BRAKE. No. 250,852. Patented Dec. 13,1881..

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B. L. STOWE.

GAR BRAKE Patented Dec. 13,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN L. STOWE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. VAN D. REED,

OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,852, dated December 13, 1881,

Application filed October 5,1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN L. STOWE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Brakes for Railway Cars, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention consists, mainly, in certainilnprovements in automatic car-brakes of the kind shown and described in my Letters PatentNos.

to 231,115 and 231,116, dated August 10, 1880, and Nos. 245,576 and 245,577, dated August 9, 1881.

The improvements consist in a novel construction and arrangement of the vertical or I 5 draw-bar lever and its accessories, through whoseinstrumentality the friction-pulley shaft is moved toward one of the car-axles (provided with a like friction drum or pulley) for the purpose of putting in motion the brake mechanism.

They also consist in the combination, with the automaticbrake applying devices and the centrifugal arrangement by which those devices are caused to release control of the brake whenthe car moves slowly, of mechanism arranged and operating, as hereinafter described, to hold the winding-shaft of the automatic-brake mechanism in position in which the brakes will remain applied so long as the draw-bar is pressed in a direction contrary to that in which the car was moving; and they further consist in combining with the auto matic-brake mechanism a device for throwing the said mechanism out of and into action, as

5 desired, and an indicator by which the position of said device can be ascertained and determined, so that by inspecting the indicator the train-men may know at once whether the automatic-brake mechanism isin or out of ac- 0 tion.

Thenature of my improvements and the manner in which the same may be carried into effect will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a portion of one end of a car provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with the car body or frame removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of the draw-timbers and mechanism carried by the same. Fig. 4 is a modification hereinafter referred to. Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of the car-truck representing the centrifugal arrangement in position in which one of the wheel-weights is pushing back the cam. Figs. 6 to 10 will be hereinafter referred to. 5;

Portions of the car-frame are represented at A. B are the draw-timbers. O is the truckframe. D is the transom. F are the axles, and G the wheels, all of ordinary or suitable construction.

I is the friction-pulley shaft, provided with pulley or hub 1, adapted to move to and from the adjoining axle F, so as to bring at required times its hub 1 into contact with the axledrum F. 6

J, Fig. 3, is the upper brake or winding shaft, connected to shaft I by a chain, K, attached to the side of pulley I and to the periphery of a drum, J, on shaft J, around which the chain passes once or twice. The winding-shaft is to be provided with athrow-off spring (not shown) for purposes indicated in my Letters Patent hereinbefore named. From one side of the drum on winding-shaft J extends? the chain L, which at the other endis attached to the-equal- 7 5 izing-lever at the same point at which the hand brake-rod is also attached to thatlever. This feature is described and claimed in my aforesaid Letters Patent N 0. 245,57 6.

The friction-drum F is provided with prolongations, which carry the wheel-weights 0 and their radial guide studs or rods 0, the weights being designed, when the car is moving slowly, to act upon a cam, T, which normally projects into the plane of revolution of the wheel-weights, and is connected through suitable intermediaries with the locking-pin g in such manner as to draw it back at the proper time from across the slot 1 of the arm N, in which slot lies the lower end of the vertical or 0 draw-bar lever O.

The pin g is connected by a link or loop, j, with the friction-pulley shaft 1, so that when it is pushed forward by the draw-bar lever 0 it will draw the shaftI toward the axle F, thus 9 5 pressing together the drums F I, and consequently applying the brakes.

The parts thus described in their general combination and mode of operation resemble the like parts shown and described in my Let- Ioc ters Patent No. 245,57 7 and referred to therein by the same letters of reference. They therefore require no further description here.

The cam T in the present instance is part of a gate, 1?, which is hinged to turn on a vertical stud, a, projecting upward from a-flange on the bracket B. This bracket is fast to the transom, and carries all the parts of the automatic-brake mechanism, which, in my heretofore-patented arrangements, were carried byI the truck-frame.

The gate is free to move to and from the centrifugal arrangement, and is pressed in toward the latter by a spring, I). The locking-pin g is carried by and moves with the gate, being pinned loosely thereto, and extends directly therefrom through a guide-slot in a vertical flange onarm N and across-the slot tin the horizontal part'of the said arm. The pin willbe crowded in or drawn out according to the direction of'movement of the gate, and the action of: the cam upon it is positive and direct. A collar on the pin forms a stop to limit inward movement.

The shaftl is supported in hearings in bracket Bin thefollowing way: A sleeve, with a-wide flange,c upon one of its ends, is pinned upon one end ofshaft I. The flangec prevents the chain from windiug'too far outupon the shaft, and the sleeve 0 prevents the shaft from-becoming worn byits turning. This sleeve passes loosely through the journal-bearing d, and the shaft is thereby supported, the bearing ditself being supported byanarm, d, which, projecting downward and forward from a flange upon the bracket-R atan angle of about forty-five degrees, passes looselythrough the hearing at right angles to the shaft; The bearing d is prolonged at its upper end to give a longer hearing' upon the arm at, and the relief-springer encircles thisprolongation and the arm, the

saidspring pressing at its lower end against the bearing and at its upper end against the flange of the bracket, and acting to permit the Shaft to recede from the axle when thezstrain upon the brakes becomesexcessive, as described'in my Patent 245,577, hereinbefore referred to. An arm, 6, of the bracket R extends downward and forward and supports the other end-ofthe brake-shaft I. A sleeve, e, having its outer end closed and a flange, 6 upon its other'end, fits loosely upon the end of the shaft, and'thissleeve passes through an oblong bearing-slot in the end of the bracket-arm. The oblong slot is to allow the shaft sufficient lateral motion at this end to permit the pulley I to be brought into contact with the drum F upon the axle when the brake is being applied, or to recede from itwhen the brake is loosened. The flanged sleeves upon the ends of the shaft prohibit the shaft from slipping longitudinally in either direction.-

Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate the improved form of draw-bar lever and its connections which I now-use. The vertical draw-bar lever O is similar in form and, action in its lowerpart to the one described in my Letters Patent No. 245,57 7 It differs, however, in other respects from the latter in that it is so hung that its lower end normally stands at the rear end of the slot 5 in arm- N. has a loop, f, upon its rear side, and through this loop a bolt, f, which reaches from one to the other of the draw-timbers, passes and forms a fixed fulcrum and support for the lever;.but the loop should be large enough to permit considerable freedom of motion to the lever, so as to allow. it to twist or turn somewhat as well as to swing. This support being upon the rear side of the lever, the weight of the lever has a tendency to carry the lever out of a vertical position, and ths tendency is relied upon to keep the lower'eud of the lever at the rear end of the slote' in thearm, except when-itis-forced forward.

and. throughthis eye a spring bar, h, passes loosely. Aspring, h encircles the spring-bar between the lever and a shoulder upon the spring-bar. The forward end of the springbar has a long slot, W, in it, and through this slot a bolt, h, reaching from one to the other of the draw-timbers, passes for the purpose of supporting thisend of the spring-bar.

The spring-bar and spring should be of suflicient length, so that when the leveris vertical and the draw-bar B is in its normal positionthey -should just reach from the lever to the When the draw bar 13 is drawn-- out the weight of the lever() will cause the springbar to follow the draw bar until the draw-bar.

lower end of the lever is atthe rear end ofthe slot i, butno farther. When the draw-bar B is crowded in, the'bar It will be pushed back and the upper end ofthelever 0 will be crowded back with all the force of-the spring 7L2. The

effect of this-movement will be, when the ping is:

in front-of the lever 0, to apply the brakes.

The spring-bar should'extend through the eye in the lever 0 far enough to preventit from ever being drawn out therefrom but it need not be longer than is requisite for that purpose, although, as shown in the drawings,

it is continued back and is made part of a mechanism designed to hold the brake on,or to keep it applied'when it has once been applied,

so long asthe draw-bar remains crowded back, even though the pulley 1 sh all be released from contact with the drum F through the agency of the centrifugal arrangement when the train is stopping.

The winding-shaftJisprolonged sufficiently to reachthrough both of the draw-timbers B; and midway between the draw-timbers is placed upon the shaft a friction wheel, I, whichcan turn freely thereon. This wheel is between a collar, which isfixed to the shaft upon one side, and a ratchet-wheel, m, which is also fixedto the shaft and must revolve with it upon the other. v

For this purpose, above its centerit.

In the upper end of the lever is an eye, It,

A spring-pawl, n, fastened to the frictionwheel, engages the ratchet and prevents the friction -wheel from turning relatively to the shaft in one direction while it permits such turning in the opposite direction.

A brake-shoe, 0, made to fit the periphery of the friction-wheel, is applied to the prolonged end of the spring-bar h, so as to be capable of movinglengthwise thereon, andis pushed back by a spring, 1), between it and a shoulder on the bar. The length of the spring-bar should be such that when the draw-bar is in its nornal position the brake-shoe will bejust clear of the friction-wheel.

The action of this mechanism is as follows: Supposing the car is running forward and the brake mechanism is ready for action, then if the draw-bar be crowded back the pulley I will be brought against the drum F and the brake thereby applied. When the draw-bar is pushed back the brake-shoe 0 will be forced against the friction wheel I with the force of the spring 1), and the said wheel will thereby be prevented from turning with the windingshaft J; but the direction of the shafts revolution is such that the pawl n does not interfere with its rotation so long as that rotation continues to be in the direction in which the shaft J always turns when the brakes are being applied. But now suppose thatthe brakes are applied and the forward motion of the car is retarded sufficiently to bring the centrifugal arrangement into operation and relieve the pulley I from its contact with the drum F, although the draw-barB stillremains crowded in. The result of this would be to relieve the brakes were it not for the action of the mechanism just described but with the said mech anism the brake-shoe 0 will be held against the friction-wheel l, and the said wheel will thereby be prevented from turning, and its pawl n, engagingthe ratchet at, will prohibit the shaft from revolving in the direction necessary to unwind the upper brake-chain and release the brake. Oonsequentl y the brake cannot be released so long as the inward pressure upon the draw-bar B continues.

Fig. at illustrates a method of connectingthe present brake mechanism with the draw-bar at the other end of the car,.as it may sometimes be desirable to do. A rod, 1", extends to and is fastened to the draw-bar at the opposite end of the car by means of the draw-bar bolt or in any other convenient manner. A 1oop,f is inserted in the vertical lever O belowthe onef, through which the supporting-bolt f passes, and a pull-springs, connects this loop with the end of the rod. A lever, t, fulcrumed at its center upon a bolt passing through the drawtimbers, is pinned to the rod 1' at its lower end and to the brake-shoe 0 at its upper end. The result of an outward pull upon the draw-bar at the opposite end of the car will be to draw the lower end of the vertical lever 0 back, and also to pull the brake-shoe o away from the friction-wheel I, thus releasing the brakes, even though the draw-bar B at this end of the car remains crowded back.

The lower or pull spring, 8, should be of sufficient power to overcome to a considerable extent the tension of the upper push-spring, and both of the springs upon the spring-bar should be capable of greater motion than would be necessary without the connection with the other draw-bar.

It may sometimes be desirable to throw the brake mechanism out of workingconnection by hand, and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate mechanism intended for that purpose.

In the periphery of the flange nearest the draw-timbers of the pulley J, upon the winding-shaft J, Icut a few notches, as shown at J A pawl, o, pivoted to the draw-timbers, engages these notches when thrown in one direction, and prevents the pulley J from turning in the direction necessary to apply the brake, but will leave it free to turn in an opposite direction. If the pawl be thrown in an opposite direclion,it will not engage the notches in the pulleys flange, but will permit the pulley to turn in either direction.

The pivot of the pawl is a shaft, c, which may reach out to one of the floor-timbers of the car, or to the outside of the car, where it is within easy reach of the train-men. On its outer end is a small crank, c which serves the double purpose of a handle with which to shift the pawl, and of a pointer, which, by pointing while it is in either position to a word or character upon a plate, a, behind it, will indicate whether the brake mechanism is in or out of working connection.

The mechanism just described, while it does notpreventthe mechanism upon the truck from performing its functions, does prohibit it from operating to apply the brakes when the pawl is in the proper position for that purpose by causing all the pull of the lower brake-chain to be expended upon the pawl; but the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 may be used instead, and this, when it is in the proper position for that purpose, will render the mechanism upon the truck inoperative by prohibiting the lever 0 from securing a working posi tion behindthe pin 9. This device consists merely of a flap, to, hinged to the upper surface of the arm N in such a way that when in one position (indicated in full lines) it covers all of the slot i in the arm except a portion at the front, into which part the vertical lever is forced and held by it, so that the lever can never get behind the pin 9 and into a working position until the flap is thrown over by hand and the whole of the slot is left-uncovered, as indicated in dotted lines.

Upon the side of the flap which will be up" or exposed when the flap is covering a part of the slot I put the word out, or such other word or character as will indicate that the brake is out of working connection, while upon the other side, which will be exposed when the flap is not covering any part of the slot, I put the word in, or such other word or character as will indicate that the brake is in working connection. In this way, while leaving'thc hand-brake mechanism free to act at all times, I throw the automatic-brake mechanism into and out of action, as desired, and at the same time provide an indicator by which the position and condition of the latter mechanism can be readily ascertained and determined by the train-men-an arrangement very desirable and necessary on a car which is liable to run over many different roads, and among train-men who may not undei stand the action of the brake.

It is obvious that other means for throwing the automatic-brake mechanism into and out of action maybe employed and I do not therefore restrict myself to the employment of the indicator with the special means hereinbefore specified for that purpose.

Having described my improvement, what I claim as of my own invention is as follows:

1. The draw-bar lever hung at a point above its center so as to normallyincline at its lower end to the rear, in combination with the slotted arm in which the lower end of said lever works, and the locking-pin, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The draw-bar lever, in combination with the draw-bar and intermediataspring-bar, h, and spring 7L2, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The draw-bar lever, hung or pivoted substantiall y as described, theslotted arm in which the lower end of said lever works, and the locking-pin, in combination with the draw-bar and the spring-bar and its spring intermediate between the said draw-bar and draw-bar lever, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. In combination with the centrifugal weights, the cam, the cam -supporting gate and its spring, and the locking-pin, jointed or pinned loosely to said gate and operated thereby, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

5. In combination with the automatic-brakeapplying mechanism and the centrifugal arrangement by which the same is caused to release control of the brakes when the car moves slowly, of mechanism, arranged and operating substantially as described, to hold the winding-shaft of the automatic-brakeapplying mechanism in position in which the brakes, when once applied, will remain so applied as long as the draw-bar is pressed back, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

6. The combination of the draw-bar, the spring-bar and its spring, the draw-bar lever, the brake-shoe 0 and its spring, and the upper brake or winding shaft, J, provided with loose disk or pulley 1, having a pawl-and-ratchet connection with said shaft, the combination being and acting substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

7. The rod 1", lever t, and pull-spring s, in combination with the draw-bar, the draw-bar lever, the spring-bar and its spring, the brakeshoe and its controllingspring on said springbar, and the winding-shaft J, having loose pulley lconnected with it by ratchet and pawl, these parts being arranged for joint operation substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

8. The friction-pulley shaft, in combination with the journal-bearing d, the bracket provided with arm d, supporting said bearing, and the relief-spring a, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

9. The bracket provided with arms d and e, in combination with the friction-pulley shaft, the flanged sleeves c e thereon, the journalbearing d, and the relief-sprin g a, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

10. The combination, with automatic-brakeapplying mechanism and means for throwing the same into and out of action without interfering with the operation of the hand-brakeapplyingmechanism, of an indicator by which the position of the automatic-brake mechanism, whether in or out of action, is exposed and pointed out, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of October, 1881.

BENJAMIN L. STOWE.

Witnesses: I

NATHAN S'rowE, THOMAS E. REILLY. 

